wadsworth



F. L O. WADSWORTH. ROTARY BORING DRILL. APPLICATION FILED 'IAN.29, IsIs.

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ROTARY BORING DRILL.

APPLIcATIoII FILED IAN.29, 1919 1,388,496. Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Id.LL

ELOYYAIIswomyI wpewto@ F. L. 0. WADSWORTH.

ROTARY BORING DRILL.

APPucATloN FILED 1AN.29.1919.

F. L. 0. WADSWORTH. ROTARY BORING DRILL.

APPLICATION FILED IAII.29, I9I9.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

4 sIIIgEIs-SIILET 4.

wwm I LvUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. O. WADSWORTH, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR TO HUGHESTOOL COMPANY, OF HO'U'S'LON-7 TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

ROTARY BORING-DRILL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

Application filed. January 29, 1919. Serial No. 273,715.

T o'aZZ 'w kom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANK L. O.WhoswourI-i, a citizen of the United States, residing atPittsburgh,Pennsylvania. have invented a certain new' and usefulImprovement in Rotary Boring-Drills, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, such as will enable othersyskilled in the.

art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to rotary boring drills for use in drilling oil orwater wells and the like. It has application to rotary bits that areprovided with revoluble cutters of either the cone roller or ther disktype; or to other similar rotary drills, de-

signed to drill in softer formation suchV as the purpose described,whichmay be operated insuch a manner as to secure amore effectiveshearing andv excavating action on certain kinds ofgmaterial, and alsoprevent a too rapid penetration of soft or loose strata.

A further object is to provide means for forcing the flushing water intothe end of the bore hole in j cts; whose velocity is independent of anydifference in pressure between the down flowing and upflowing currentsof liquid in the hole.

Another object is to combine,V in one drill structure, the moreimportant features of advantage of both reciprocating and rotary ty esof drills.

arious other objects and advantages will appear, in the' descriptionwhich follows; novel features of improvement which characterize myinvention will be pointed out with more particularity in the claimsappended` hereto; Y

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side view partly in section on the line 11 of Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a side elevation taken at right angles to theposition shownin Fig. 1; Fig. 31s

a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of thev same; Fig."4 is atransverse section (on the scale of dig. 3) on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;Fig. 5 1s a perspective view (also on anenlarged scale) of the ratchetring usedY with V one form of my invention; Fig. 6 is a side elevationl(on the scale of Figs. 1 and 2) of the central gear casing of the drillhead; Fig. 7 1s a horizontal cross section viewed from below in the line7-7 of Fig. 1, showing a modiiied construction and arrangement`V of thedrill cuttersfand gear housing; Fig. 7A

is a transverse section on the line 7A-7^ of Fig. 1; Fig. A8 is alongitudinal section through the drill axis, illustrating the embodimentof my invention in aV single central cutter type'of boring tool; Fig. 8^is a broken section on, the line StL-8A of Fig. 10;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the constructionillustrated in Fig. 8 (the part of the head of the left of the line .9-9of Fig. S being removed) Fig 10 is a transverse section of this'sameconstruction on the line`1010 of Fig. 8; Fig. 11 is a side elevationpartly in section of another embodimentof my invention in which theboring tool is of the horizontal disk cutter type; Fig. 12 is atransverse sectional view (on a reduced scale) on theline 12-12 of 11;Fig. 13 is a longitudinal section illustrating the application of myinvention to another Vform of vertical, or inclined cutter disk drills;Fig. 13A is a broken section on the line 13A of Fig. 13; Fig. 14 is atransverse section on the line 14-'14 of Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a sideelevation of this last construction; and Fig. 16 is a detail crosssectional view of a 1part of this drill structure.

Referring with more particularity to the illustrations of Figs. 1 to 6of the drawingwherein like parts aredesignated by like numeralsthroughout the several views-I have here shown a bit of the rotary disktype, which comprises a slotted drill head 6 withan upper threaded shank7, reduced in diameter for attachment to a coperating driving head 8;and two vertical or upright Vdisk-shaped cutters 10 which are mountedshown.

face of each o1 the said cutters by means o1 screws 15, or other similarsuitable instrumentalities.

These gears lei mesh with a bevel gear or pinion 16 which 'is mounted onthe lower squared end of an upright shaft 17 that er;- tends upwardlythrough the drill head G and nearly to the top of driving head 8, asshown in -Figz 1. This shaft is provided with a flange'or collar 18which fits within an annular seat formed in the drill head and serves tohold the said shaft against longitudinal movement with respect to thesaid head. In order that these parts may be properly assembled, thedrill head G is split longitudinally along its central plane, parallelwith the cutters 10, and the said parts are held in assembled positionby the cutter shaft 11 and by the driving head 8. fhe gears 141 and 16are completely inclosed in a A:asing or housing 50, which is litted intoa rectangular recess in the lower end oit the drill head-between Vtheslots in which the cutters 10--10l are housed--and which is providedwith circular flanges that fit into an- VVnular recesses on the inner.tacos of the cutters 10. This housing is also provided with an opening`at the upper side to receive the shaft 17 and with a central cross rib4:9 which is bored to receive the cutter shaft 1-1.

In assembling` the parts just described the pinion 16 is rst placed inthe housing 50 and the shaft 17 is then passed through the opening inthe upper side oit the housing and its lower squared end engaged withthe pinion. A washer 51 is then slipped between the lower i'iace or' thepinion and the adjacent upper face of the cross rib i19; and the gears111, 14, ai'e next placed in position against the two sides ot th'ehousing. rllie two sides o' the divided head (i are then broughttogether against the opposite outer taces of the cutter disks, andsecured in place by irst inserting the cross shaft 11, and then screwingthe upper threaded portion .7 into the lower. end of the driving head 8.rlllie casingtl may also be provided with dowel pins which are adaptedto engage in holes in the two Vhalves of the head, and thus assist inthe assembling and clamping et the parts in place. The driving head 8,comprises an outer sleeve member 19, into which the drill head issecured, and an inner member 2() that .is adapted to reciprocate withinthe said sleeve member. The upper end of the inner meniber 2O is reducedin diameter and threaded at 21 toi.zittaclinient to a drill stem, not

The upper end of the sleeve meniber, 19, is bored to a larger diameterthan the lower part, thus forming two piston chambers that are separatedby an annular shoulder 22; Aand the reciprofa'le member 20is..correspondingly shaped to form a two Vpart piston whose upper andlower ends fit closely within these two piston chambers.V

Longitudinal'slots 23, are formed in the outer surface of thereciprocating piston member to re eive inwardlyv projecting pins 2e, 2&1that are fixed in the part 19, and slide in the slots 23.

rllhe inner portion ot the piston member 2() is recessed to receive theupper portieri of the shaftI 17. This recess-as indicated at is orlarger internal diameter than the shaft 17 and extends upwardly nearlyvto the top ot the member 20, where it terminates in a small passage 26that communicates with-the upper cnd of the threaded shank for theintroduction oit lubricant. rlie passage is closed by a threaded plugThe shaft 1T is provided on its upper peripheral surface with two spiralgrooves 55 and 36. At the lower end 01"' this grooved surface the recessis enlarged in diameter to torni a small clutch chamber 2S, the upperand lower ends of which are threaded interiorly to receive upper andlower ratchet y faced clutch members 29 and 80 respectively.

iecting spline or lreywhicli maj.Y conveniently be formed by tiatteiiingthe inner enlarged ends of pins 83 and B11-which fit slidably within thegrooves 35 and 3G, respectively. Each clutch ring and its cooperatingclutch member are also rec-sed -interiorlv on the toothed sides toprovide seats for helical springs il? and which serve to normally holdthe clutch rings 231 and out el engagement with the menib-rs E29 and 80.

fr heavier helical spring 39 surrounds the shat't 17 and is irreriiosedbetween the ii pper threaded end of the drill head and the lower end o1the clutch member 3l). This spriiig tends to hold the cutters 1t) inworking ontact with the bottom of the hole,

Vwhen the reciprocating member 20 is drawn uiliwardly in operation. ltalso serves to cushion the shock" of the down stroke, and to graduallyvary the pressure applied to the revolving cutte 's by the reciprocatingnievenient of the drill-.stem thereby preventing any violent jarring ofthe operating parts .vlien the drill is in operation.

Flushing water is supplied to the slots i) in which the cutting disksare mounted by a novel arrangement.. A. plurality or' channels 'ilO-ofwhich l have shown Ytour in Figs. 1 and 3,-lead trom the upper end thereciprocating member 20 to the ylower Vouter sleeve 19 by means of theof reciprocating movement; `my drill 'with the parts in the lowest pointmember, and open into the annular space 41 betweenv the shoulder 22 andthe adjacent end of the said piston element. From this space, one ormore ducts 42 lead to another annular groove 43 between the lower end ofthe sleeve 19 and the head 6. From the space 43-two or more channels 44,44 lead *toV the openings in which the cutting disks 10 are housed. Theupper end of each chanvl-nel is enlarged to receive a valve seat 45 andthe channel isl closed against'upward passage of water `by a springpressed ball valve in the said valve seat.

In the construction just described the drill stem, to the lower end ofwhich my improved drill is attached, will` be bothl rotated andreciprocated. This combined rotary-reciprocating movement may beimparted to the stem by any well known device, and as such device is nota part of my present invention, it is not here shown'. The rotativemovement of the drill stem will be imparted directly to the innerreciprocating member 2O and will be transmitted therefrom to the pins24,24 iitting withinthe slots 23, 23; and the head 6 will thus be rotated,causing the cutters 10 to roll on'the bottom of the hole and to cutawayand disintegrate the material at that point, in much the same way asin the operation'of the ordinary types of rotary disk drills. Y

' The reciprocation of the drill stem 'will also be directlycommunicated to the member lwhich will slide up and .downV within thesleeve member 19-the slots 23, being of sufficient length to permit thedesired range Fig. 1 shows of the vstroke inv the reciprocation of the 1drill stem. On the downward stroke the upper spring 38 will becompressedl and the clutch member 2 9 will engage the jaws of thekclutch kring 31 to Aprevent rotation thereof. The clutch ring 32 will,however, be free to rotate, being'held Aout of engagement'with the jawsof the clutch 30 by the spring 37.

VUnder these conditions, the engagement of ,the spline or key 'of thering 31 with the groove'35 will revolve the shaft 17 in the direction ofrotation "of the drill stem, (a vclockwise rotation asviewed from above)landthis movement will be transmitted,

throughy the `gears 14'1and 16 tothe cutter ydisks 10, 10 and revolvethe said disks'positively in the same'V direction in which they`Vtend'tol'roll on the bottom of the hole as the drill stem and drillhead rotate. On the upward stroke of thefdrill st-em, the clutch ring"6o- 31 will be disengaged: from the clutch member 29 and the clutch 30will 'engage the r newl cause the spline or keyof the clutch ring 32 Itorevolve theshaft 17; .and as the 'ring might be employed and that thisring could engage with either of the grooves, 35 01136 to give the shaft17 an intermittent rotary movement on either the upward or the downwardstroke of the drill stem. It is also clear that the positive rotarymovement ofthe shaft 17-whether it be continuous or intermittent-may bevaried, both as to direction and as to speed, by varying the pitch ofthe spiral driving grooves.

It is further obvious that the pins 24, which engage in the slots 23, 23and serve to positively rotate the drill head in synchronism with thedrill stemmight loe removed; and a rotary movement indirectly impartedto the drill head by a simple reciprocating movement of the drill stem.In

this case the upward and downward movements of the member 2O will imparta positive movement of rotation to the shaft 17., and this will, inturn, positively revolve the cutter disks 10, 1() which will roll on thebottom of the hole and carry the rotary drill head around with them. Theaction is then the reversel ofthat of an ordinary rotary disk drill-'(inwhich the rotation of the drill head serves to revolve the cutters bythe rolling contact of the later with the materiaD-the rotation of thedrill hea-d being` produced in this last described arrangement, by therolling of the positively driven toothed cutters 10, 10 on the surfaceupon which they rest.

' The reciprocation of the drill stem and the member 20 performs thefurther important function of forcing the flushing water into the bottomof the bore hole, and against the cutters, in a succession of highvelocity jets. On the upward stroke ofthe piston member 20 the valves 46will open to allow free passage of the water, from the hollow drill stemto the annular piston chamber 41, and thence on, through the openpassage ways, 42, 43 and 44, to the openings in which' the `cutter disksare housed. The member 20 maintains a tight sliding fit with theoutervsleeve 19 by .means of packing rings 48 and the frictionalengagement between these parts tends vof course to lift the drill headon each upward movement of the driving head; but this lifting tendencyis'counteracted in part by the pressure of rthe'water on the shoulder 22and in part by the tension of the spring 39; and these jointly actingforces-supplemented by the weight of the drill head partsserve to holdthe critter Ymembers in consta-nt operative engagement with the materialat the bottom of the bore hole. On the downward stroke, the valves 46'close and the upperl piston element of the member forces the water outof the annular piston chamber 4l and expels it from the openings 44 in aseries of violent jets or spurts, that will be very effective in washingaway any disintegrated matter that tends to accumulate around therevolving cutters.

The lubrication of this bit is accomplished by filling the annularchamber surrmindingthe shaft 17 with oil, which is introduced into thischamber through the passage way 26. At the lower end of this chamber theshaft 17 is provided with a radial duct, that connects the said chamberwith a een tral duct leading downwardly through said shaft to theinterior of the housing 50, which is also filled with heavy oil orgrease. By this means all of the opera-ting parts are constantly andcopiously supplied with lubricant, and are thus fully protected againstthe action of the water and mud surrounding the drill head.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6 the cutter disks 10, 10 aremounted coaXially, and are, as already stated, of the Y two edged orfour point type more fully described in my application Ser. No. 200,672filed November 26, 1919, later abandoned and thereafter, on March 26,191.9, application No. 300,004, refiled therefor. My present inventionis not however, limited to rotary drills of this type, but is applicableto many other forms of rotary disk or roller bit constructions. 1n Fig.7, for example, I have illustra-ted a drill head provided with twovertical disk cutters 10:L 10n which are laterally offset with respectto each other so as to bring only the forward advancing edges, and theadjacent peripheral surfaces, of the cutters into engagement with thematerial at the end of the bore hole. v1n this construction the cuttersare mounted on a shaft 11, which is provided with two eccentricallyturned portions 55 and 56, and with a central squared portion 57, theupper side of which forms a support for the washer 51 that is interposedbetween it and the lower face of the pinion 16, Each cutter 10L isprovided with a bevel gear 14, the teeth of which are shaped to engagewith the teeth of the bevel pinion 16, and the gears and pinions areinclosed in a casing or housing 50"L the upper edge of which is fittedinto a rectangular recess in the lower end vof the divided head 6&-thewhole arrangement being similar to that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6;save that the casing 50 is not in this case provided with any centralcross web corresponding to the part 49 -of Figs. 16 construction. Theconstruction of Fig. 7 also diifers in detail from the structure firstdescribed in having elastic expansion rings 58, (or 59) inserted betweenthe faces of the circular rings on the ends of the casing member 50" andthe adjacent faces of the cutter disks 102L 11M-these packing ringsbeing particularly useful in preventing any leakage of liquid into orout of the interior of the casing when the cutter members are forcedoutwardly by the unbalanced pressure of the cut on the forward advancingedges of the disks. The cutters themselves also differ from those shownin Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 in having peripheral surfaces that areprovided with a series of circumferentially or spirally disposed groves,so shaped as to form a succession of secondary cutting edges separatedby intermediate crushing and disintegrating surfaces. But it is obviousthat any suitable form of cutting crushing disk memberswith eithertoothed or grooved, or plain peripheral surfacesmay be used in either ofthe rotary disk constructions above described.

The main difference between the structure of the two drill heads shownin Figs. 1 to 6 and Fig. 7 results from the positioning of the cutterdisks relative to the axis of the head. When these disks are centrallyand co-axially mounted-as in the first construction described-the gears14 and the pinion 16 are ordinary bevel gears having conical pitchsurfaces. When the two disks are axially offset with respect to eachother-as in F ig. 7-the gears 14 and 16 must be formed with hyperbolicalpitch surfaces and provided with teeth cut at a slight angle to the axesof the gears. But the offsetting of the gear axes with respect to eachother is so small that the design and the cutting of these spiral toothgears offers no particular difficulty; and the teeth are so thoroughlyprotected against wear (bybeing inclosed in a casing filled withlubricant) that either 'form of gear will operate for a long timewithout replacement. The disk members 10 or 10, and the bushingstherefor (12 and 13 or 12;1L andV 13a) may, of course, be easily andquickly replaced whenever necessary.V

The drill head shown in Fig. 7 is designed for attachment to thesameform of driving head as is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6; and theoperation of the combined structure thus produced is in all respectssimilar to that already described.

1n Figs. S, 9 and 10 'I have illustrated the application of my inventionto a rotary drill of the single central disk type of construction. 1nthe specific form here shown the single cutter 10b is mounted to revolvein a plane that is slightly inclined to the axis of the drill head, andis provided with two opposite cutting edges of slightly differentdiameter that Vare adapted to shear away the 4material at thesides andbottom of the bore hole on both the forward advancing face and therearward following face of the rotating disk, The inner face of this isend ofthe head.

recessed and abevel gear 14h is screwed theretoby means of screws 15b orin any other suitable manner. The connected gear and disk are revoluhlymounted on the inclined stud shaft il vwhich is provided with a squaredsection 57 and is rigidly secured in thel downwardly extending leg ofthe head 6b; and therevoluble member is held in place on the shaft 11bby means of a plate 6l which is secured in place against the beveledv'side of the head and the shouldered end of the shaft by means ofscrews 62 and the split cone nut 63, the latter being locked in place bymeans of a lead or Babbitt metal seal 64, which fills the space betweenthe capped end of the nut 68 and the slotted or notched end of the shaft11b.

rlhe head 6b is provided with two longitudinally disposed circularopenings, 42h and 65 which are4 eccentrically arranged with re-A spectto the axis of the drill head and eX- end upwardly' to theV upper orrear end thereof, A shaft 17h is centrally mounted in the larger ofthose openings, and extends downwardly through a bearing in the lowerThe lower end of this shaft-is squared or flattened on one side to entera correspondingly shaped socket in the bevel pinion 16h, which isarranged to engage with the gear 14h; and the said shaft is held.against longitudinal movement by a shoulder or: collarA portion 18Dwhich engages with a seat at the bottom of the opening 65 and is heldtherein by a plate 66. The up- `per end of the shaft 17h isnprovidedwith two or more left hand spiral grooves 36h which are engaged by aleft hand nut 32"; and this nut isprovidedpon its lower face with teethwhich are adaptedto engage with thevcorrespondingly toothed upper faceof a clutch ring 30 the construction and arrangement of theselastdescribedelements being similar 'to that of the correspondingly numberedparts in the first described structure save that the pitch of thegrooves and the inclination of vthe clutch teeth are oppositely disposed'in the two cases. The nut 32b is slidably mounted in the-.enlargedendof a hollow Vshaft 67, which extends upwardly through*apackingbox 68that closes the vupper end or the opening 65, and is secured to the capof a recipro'cable driving head or sler-veiS` thaty is bored to fitclosely over the exterior periphery of the drill head 6b, and isthreaded at its upper end to engage with 'the hollow drill stein. rEheVannular space between the sleeve members 8b and? and the top of thedrill head 6b constitutes apiston chamber 41h, which communicates withthe interior of the hollow drill stem through a valve seat and springpressed ball valve =15b and 46h; and also y communicates with thepassage way 42h through a ,similar valve seat and ball valve 69 and 70.

The gears Mb and 16 in the lower part of the drill head are surroundedand inclosed by a boX shaped casing 50", which fits into an Ly shapedrecess in the bottom of the drill head 6b and is screwed therein bymeans of screws 71. VThis casing is provided on its outer face with acircular flange or rib that fits closely within the annular recess onthe adjacent inner face of the disk member 6", and is further providedwith an opening in its upper wall for the passage of the shaft 17h. Inassembling the parts of this construction, the gear pinion 1.6" is firstplaced in the lcasing 50h and the latter is then slid into position,over the squared portion 57 b of the shaft 11b, and screwed in therecess in the drill head by the screws 7l. rIl he shaft 17h is theninserted through the registered openings in the top of the casing andthe lower end of the drill head, and secured against longitudinalmovement by. the insertion of the plate 66. `The hollow shaft67--carrying .the nut 32 and the clutch ring 30b is next put in placeover the end of the shaft 171 and the packing box 68 screwed intoposition. The driving head 8b is neXt engaged with the drillrhead andthe sleeve member 67 screwed to the driving head by means of thethreaded cap 72. The cutter disk 10b carrying the gear llb--can then beput in place and secured in position by the cap plate 61. Before thisdisk member is put in position the interior of the box 5()b shouldpreferably be iilled with a thick heavy grease or oil; and after all theparts are assembled as above described the hollow shaft 67 and theannular space between the coperatingl shaft 1'7"v and the wall of theopening 65 are also filled with a somewhat more fluid lubricant that ispoured in through the opening inthe cap 72,#-this opening being thenclosed by the plug 271. l

The lower end of the'passageway 42'D opens on the beveled face of thedrill head, and there communicates with lateral passages, that areformed by cutting grooves in the enfaces of the head and the attachedFigs. l, 2, 3 and l-or spirally disposed.

therein; but they are preferably of herringbone ,form as illustrated 1nFig. 9; this being the form that is particularly effective in producinga rotation of the disk by the pres# sure of the out on both theladvancing and following edges of the cutter faces.

rlhe operation of this drill construction' is similar to thatalready'described.V The the periphery of the drillhead. The recipro-vcating movement of the driving head is communicated to the member G7 andon the upward stroke of this member the nut 32" Ais engaged with theclutch ring 30", and thereupon serves to positively rotate the shaft 17bin a counterclockwise direction-as viewed from above-at a speed which isdependent upon the pitch of the grooves 361) and the linear velocity ofthe reciprocating` movement. The positive rotation of the shaft 17b iscommunieated-through the gears 16b and 14th-.to the disk cutter 10b andcauses the latter to revolve in the same direction as it tends to rollon the bottom of the bore hole when the drill head rotates. On thedownward stroke ofthe driving` head the frictional engagement of the nut321 with the grooved portion of the shaft 17b serves to disengage thenut from the clutch ring 30D and thus leaves the shaft 17" free torotate independently of the movement of the driving heads. ut it is ofcourse obvious that the shaft 17b might be provided with two sets ofoppositely disposed spiral grooves;

and the reciprocating member 67 arranged to carry two sets of nuts andclutch ringsarranged as shown in Fig. 1,-so that the shaft 17b could bedriven positively in the same direction on both the upstroke and thedown-stroke of the driving head.

During the upward movement of the member '8b the cylinder or pistonchamber lll." is filled with water from the interior of the hollow drillstem-by the free opening of the valve lb--and the hydraulic pressure ofthis water onthe end of the drill head G" serves to Vassist the weightof the head in keeping the cutter member 10" in operative engagementwith the bottom of the bore hole. If these forces are notv aloneYsufficient to maintain the desired pressure on the cutter disk theireffect may be supplemented and augmented by the compressive tension of aspiral spring 39h that can be interposed between the lower end of thereciprocating sleeve 67 and the plate 66 at the bottom of the openingG5.

On the downward movement of the driving head the valve 45" closes andthe water then filling the piston chamber 4-1" is then forced outthrough the passage way 42h and expelled at high velocity, from vtheorifices 7 3, against the teeth of the cutter 10.*. This action not onlytends to wash away all detritus from the sides and face of the cuttingdisk-thereby keeping the teeth of the cutter in clean and effectivecutting condition,-but also serves to produce a semi posi-l tive drivingaction that will revolve the disk in the same direction as it is drivenby the operation of the reciprocating-rotary-conversion-gear members1li-b 36". This construction therefore embodies two separate butcoperating means for utilizing the reciprocating movement of the drillstem and driving head to effect a rotary driving movement of therevoluble cutter disk; and either one or both of these conversion gearinstrumentalities may be arranged to operate either intermittently (orin one direction only of the reciprocating movement) or continuously inboth directions of reciprocation.

ln Figs. l1 and 12 I have illustrated another embodiment of the mainfeatures of my present invention in a rotary bit construction of thehorizontal disk type-whieh forms the subject matter of another of mycopending applications Ser. No. 215589-in which the two cutter members10C 10C revolve on axes that are nearly parallel with the axes ofrotation of the drill head 6C. In the particular embodiment illustratedin Figs. 11 and 12 the cutter disks are rigidly secured on (or madeintegral with) the shaft supportsv 11c and' the latter are revolnblymounted in bushings 12C, that are removably secured-by screws 76 orother suitable vmeans-in the diametrically opposed bosses 7 5, 75 of thedrill head 6C. The upper ends of the shaft supports 11c are reduced indiameter to receive clutch collars 30C which are keyed or otherwisesecured to the said shafts, and are provided in their upper ends orfaces with an annular series of teeth similar to those with which thecorrespondingly numbered clutch ring of F 1 is provided.

Driving gears 32C, 32C are rotatably mounted on the peripheries of theclutch rings 30"', and are provided with teeth 77 that are adapted toengage with the toothed end faces of the clutch rings. The externalperipheries of these drivinggears are provided 'with spiral or helicalteeth which engage with correspondingly ldescribed heliwal grooves 1nthe opposite faces of a reciprocating rack bar, 67C that extendsupwardly through a packing box 68C in the top of the l drill head, andis secured at its upper end (by the nut 72C) to the cap of the drivinghead Se.. This driving head is bored out to make close slidingengagement with the upper end of the drill head GC, and ,is providedwith one or more removable blocks or keys that engage with acorresponding number of longitudinal grooves 23C. and serve tocommunicate the rotarv movement of the driving head. to the drill head.rllhe upper end of the driving head is threaded for attachment to theordinary7 hollow drill stem, ordinarily used in dri ving these rotarydrills; and the top of this head is perforated with a number of valveopenings 45 that are closed at theirv lower ends by a flexible valveplate 46c. The sides 0f the hollow drill head 6c are provided with twoor more passage l2c which lead from the upperend ofthe head to pointsadjacent the faces of the cutter disks 10@ v10C, and are thereinclinedin such direction as to direct thewater flowing through the saidpassages against the toothed peripheries of the .revoluble cutters-asvshown ,by the dottedlines in Fig. 12.

place' on the head. Theopenings throughwhich the driving gears 32c areinserted are.

then closed by caps 79, that are clamped tightly against theA outerfaces and upper side edges ofthe bosses 75 by means of screws 80. Theinterior of ,the hollow drill head 6 is now filled with heavy oil orother sui"- able lubricant, through the passageway, 8l, and the bar 67cis clamped in position on the driving head by thecap nut 7 2' whichalsov servesto close the end of the `oil passage'Sl.V In the operationof this horizontal diskA drill `the upward movement 'ofv the drivinghead and rack bar 67c lifts the driving gears 32c out of clutchengagement'with the yrings 30c thus leaving the disk cutters 10@ freetol revolve y.c ounter'clockwise,-as viewed.. from' above (see Fig. 12)astheY drill headrevolves from leftto right or in aclockwise,direction.y Du`ring-V this upward movement 'the valve plate 46flexes downward, opening the pas- .45

sageways C, andallowing the water in the hollow drill stem to flood thepistonchamber 41? and exert its full pressureon the top/of.`

the drill head 6c. This pressure supplements Y' .the weight of the heavydrill headand servesV ,to prevent the latter from moving upward with thedri-ving head. On the .downward movement of the driving heady thedriving gearsV 32c are -firstpushed down until the clutch teeththereoiiengage with the clutchj rings BOgand are .then revolved fromright to left-as viewed from above-by the slid- `ing engagement of thehelical teeth on the. faces of the gears and the rack bar G70. VThismovement serves to positively revolve, .the cutter'disks 10c in `thesame direction iii-which they are moved'bythe pressure of the cuttingengagement with the material y*at thefend of theV bore hole, whenrthedrill headris rotated.

The descent ofthe driving head alsofclos'es Ithe vvalve plateftcandforces the water in the piston chamber 41C downward through the passagessli-2c; anc expels this water Trom the lower inclined orifices of thesepa ges in jets which impinge, at a high velocity, ou the revolvingperipheral surfaces of the cutter disks; thereby not only freeing`theseA surfaces from all accumulations of mud or other detritus, butalso serving to assist the action of the rack-gear conversion devices insecuring a positive rotation of the cutter members, independently of anyrotation of the drill head as a whole It is, of course, obviousthat theclutch collars 30 and the cooperating gears may be arranged to engageonly on the up stroke of the driving head-so as to revolve the cutterdisks during this movement (as Yin the Figs. 8-10 construction) and itis further clear that both Vthe direction and the speedv of rotation maybe changed as desired by reversing or varying the pitch f the helicalgear and rack teeth.

In the construction shown in Figs. 18 to.

16 the cutter members 10d 101 are inclined to the longitudinal axis ofthe head; and are also offset backwardly VVVwith relation thereto, so asto bring only the rear following edges on the outer faces of the disksin cut-A ting engagement'with thesides and end of the bore hole. Thedrill head, 6d, on which these cutter disks are mounted, is split ordivided longitudinally on the planes e-f, g-A/L, which contain the 'axesof these disks; and the latter are revolubly supported in split bushings12d, that are clamped in position between the engaging faces of thedivided head by the bolt 621 and screwcollar 8d that. engages the upperthreaded end of the said head. `The upper end of this head is alsobored.` and grooved to receive the shouldered lower end of a pistonextension,

r82O that terminates in an enlarged head S3.

A hollow sleeve 84 is fitted to the exterior pe-v riphery of the headS3, and is closed at the Vbottoni by a split collar S5 which is threadedinto the said sleeveaiid is bored out to fit closely around the pistonextension 82. This splitY collar is also provided with one or more keysor splines which engage with longitudinal grooves 22%,1 (indicated ,bydotted lines) i on the periphery of the sa-id-e;'-:tension mem! bers.The upper end ofthe sleeve Sil is closed by the driving head cap 20dwhich is threadgroove, on the exterior of the sleeve 8l (see Fig. 16)thatv communicates with the an nular chamber 88 below the head 88. Thisheadis likewise provided with two openings communicating respectivelywith the piston chambers Llila and SS--these openings being perfectlycontrolled by the spring pressed ball valves d, and being connected to acommon passage 42d that leads downwardly to the chamber 43d, between theend of the divided drill head and the piston extension 82. Two otherinclined passage ways ld-,d lead downwardly through the sides of thedivided head G and terminate in orifices that are opposite the innerfaces of the inclined cutters 10d. rihese faces are provided with radialteeth 90 so formed as to constitute a set of turbine blades forreceiving the impulse ofthe jets of water discharged from the passageways lla, and utilizing said jets to impart a semi-positive revolutionto the cutter disks. Y

A lubrication tube 91 is screwed into a threaded opening at the top ofthe divided drill head (3d.Il and extends upwardly through the passage2d and through a stuiling box G8 that closes the top 'of that passage.rhis tube opens at the bottom into an annularrecess surrounding theinner flanged ends of the split bushing members 12d, andconstitutiiig-(in conjunction with the tube 91)--an oil chamber forsupplying lubricant to the bearing surfaces of the cutter shafts 11d.

The exterior periphery of the clamping collar Sil and of the drivinghead sleeve S- are both'provided with a series of helically ldisposedflanges 92, which are of right hand pitch, and which are adapted toassist in mixing and churning up7 the mud charged water in the bottom ofthe bore hole; and also to aid in establishing and maintaining theupward movement of the liquid and the suspended solid materialsurrounding the exterior of the drill heads, and the drill stein.Similar flanges may be used, if desired, on the external peripheries ofthe drill head constructions previously described.

The operation of the rotary-reciprocating bit structure shown in Figs.13 to 16 is -substantially the same as that of the other constructionsof this type previously considered, save that the reciprocatingpistoiiparts constitute in this case a double acting77 pump and serve toexpel water from the orifices leid on both the-up and the down strokesof the drill stein. These constantly flowing jets of liquid act on theturbine teeth or blades 90 to produce a constant semi positiverevolution of the cutter disks l()d in the same direction in which theytend to roll on the bottom of the hole Vas the drill rotates on itslongitudinal axis. lThe drill head Gd and the cutter members 10d areheld down to their work in the bottom of the hole, in part by the weightof the suspended inem- 'bers, in part by the excess pressure of theflushing liquid on the top of the drill headdue to the greater crosssectional area ofthe Leesyioe upper piston chamber l11d as compared withthe lower piston-chamber SB-in part by the action of the heavycompression spring 39d; and in part by the reactionof the upwardlymoving current of liquid on the flanges 92 of the rotating head 6d.

rlhe pump-turbo-reciprocating-rotary conversion device is not certainand invariable in its action as the screw-gear conversion devicesillustrated in 1, 8 and 11; but, under some conditions of opera-tion,

`this flexibility of conversion actionis an adlgether by a pinion in themanner illustrated in Fig. 1; and it is also clear that this pinion maybe positively driven by a shaft screw and not connected like that shownin Fig. S. Those skilled in this art will also appreciate that the firstfour constructions l previously described may, on the other hand, bereadily modified by omitting the screwgear 'conversion devices-(cr bytemporarily rendering them inactive by the removal of one of thecoacting clutch or gear parts,) and relying solely on 'the vpump-turboconversion means for providing aV revolution of the cuttei1 diskindependently of any movement due to the rotationoic the drill head.Various other structural changes, both in the detail design andarrangement of the various parts, and in the manner of assembling theoperative combination asa whole. will be readily suggested, to thosefamiliar 'with these rotary drills, by the several typical' embodimentswhich l have chosento illustrate my present invention.

The characteristic features of operation -of -my improved type ofreciprocatingrotary drill constructions-which are the commondistinguishing characteristics of all of the varying forms of structurehereinbefore describedwill now be clear without further explanation.

The effect of the combined reciprocatory and rotary movements of thedrill stem or of the reciprocating movement alone'will be to impart tothe cutters a positive revolution on their axes which is independent of,or supplemental to. the usual rolling nievement of these members on thebottom of the hole; this positive driving action being produced by, anddue to the reciprocation of the drill stem. This `positive drive willovercome any tendency of the cutters to clog and stick in the softmaterial'at the bottom of -the hole; and will further assist in a moreeven cutting away, and a more effective pulverization or disintegrated,'of the material being drilled. The automatic alternate increase anddecrease of pressure on the cutters of thedrill-which results fromV thereciprocation of the drill stem-serves the purpose oi preventing a toorapid penetration of soft materials and also permits the cutter membersto periodically readjust themselves to the most eective operativeposition. Occasionally a rotary disk drill will, because of too greatpressure, cut away the hole faster than the material thus loosened canbe disintegrated. and carried to the surface by the upward current oflflushing water. This is lvery apt to result in a clogging or balling upof the bit. By the use of my improvement, however, the maximum pressureon the drill head can never exceed the maximum tension on the resilientmembers interposed between the driving head and the drill head ontherdownward stroke of the drill stem, and this can be easily and'quickly controlled by simply varying the length of the reciprocatingstroke, or by controlling the mean rate of descent of the reciprocatingparts. l

An additional means of preventing the clogging of the cutters of myimproved type of bit is provided by the pumping action of the mutuallyreciprocable parts of the v drill head and the driving head, whichforces the water against the cutters, and the bottom of the hole, in aseries of j ets where velocity is quite independent of any .differencein` pressure between the supply Aof ushing liquid flowing downwardthrough the hollow drill stem and thev upwardly moving current of mudcharged water surrounding Athe drill head. The reciprocating movement ofthe drill stem.l and the members attached thereto. and the alternateincrease and decrease of pressure onthe bit head produced thereby, alsoserves to give the boring tool a continuous spi'idding and pumpingaction in churning up and further tends to prevent the balling up of thedrill `parts and the choking of the bore hole when operating inrelatively soft l strata.

V I thus obtain in my improved drill constructions a combination ofadvantages;

which are only in part characteristic of the y i "usual types of rotarybit structures-using cutters of either the' cone roller or the inclineddisk, or the vertical disk; or of the `horizontal disk typesand are inpart characteristic of the differentl forms of the reciprocating orpercussion class of boring tools.

Having thus described my invention what carryingV .away 'the excavatedmaterial; and this ciprocable members, one of which is attached to thedrill head, and the other of which is attached to the drill stein, saidmembers acting when reciprocated to cause a positive rotation ot saidcutters.

2. In a rotary well boring drill, the combinationofa drill head, with adriving head having rotary; cutters thereon secured thereto andcomprising two telescopic members the upper one of which reciprocatesrelative to the lower whereby said rotary cutters are positivelyoperated and means to transmit rotary movement from one of said membersto the other.

3. In a rotary well boring drill, the combination of a drill head, withrotatable cutters mounted thereon, and a driving head comprising tworelatively reciprocable members one of which is secured to vthe drill:one of these members into a positive rotary motion of the said cutters.I l

5. In a rotary well boring drill, the combination o'f a drill head,rotatable cutters mounted thereon, a driving head secured to said drillhead and comprising two relatively reciprocable members, a drive shaftmounted in the drill head, and geared to the rotatable cutters, andmeans acting on said shaft for converting the longitudinal movement ofthe reciprocating members into a rotary movement of the said drive shaftand the said cutters. Y

6. In a'rotary well boring drill, the coinbination of la drill head,rotatable cutters mounted thereon; a driving head secured to said drillhead and comprising two relatively reciprocable members the upper one ofwhich is adapted for attachment to a drill stem; means fortransmititngrotary movement from one of said members to the other,

upper member to vthe rotatable cutters and adapted to convert thelongitudinal movement ot said member into a rotary move- -ment oit' thesaid cutters.

7. In a rotary well boring drill, the combination ota drillv head;rotatable cutters mounted thereon; means to rotate said drill mountedthereon; a driving head secured to said drill head and comprising'onemeinber iiXed to the drill head and another meinber longitudinallymovable with respect lto the head; a driving shaft longitudinallydisposed in the reciprocating member; and means including said shafti'or converting` the longitudinal movement of the reciprocating member'into a rotary motion of the said cutters.

8. In a rotary well boring drill; the combination of a drill head;rotatable cutters mounted thereon; a driving head secured to said drillhead, a driving shaft rotatably supported in said drill head andextending into said driving head; gea-rs connecting said shaft and saidcutters; and a reciprocating member mounted in said driving head andcooperating -with said shaft to rotate said cutters.

9. In a rotary well boring drill; the combination of a drill head;rotatable cutte-rs mounted thereon; a rotatable driving head securedthereto; a sha-ft mounted in said drill head and extending into thedriving head, years connecting the said shaft to the Y'said cutters; anda screw connection be-v tween said driving head and said s-haiit wherebysaid shaft and cutters are rotated independently ot the rotation oi saidhead. 10. A combination such as is set forth in claim 10, with separatemeans to rotate said drill head.

11. In a rotary well boringdrill; the combination oi a drill head, arotatable cutter head and separate means connected with said iirstmentioned means to produce air independent rotation oi? the said cutter;comprising a rotatable shatt with opera- Y tive connection to saidcutter and a driving means 'for said shalt operated by the reciprocationof said drill head.

12. In a rotary Well boring drill, the com-y bination of a drill head; arotatable cutter mounted thereon; a driving head comprising tworelatively movable members; a sliding pin and slot engagement' fortransmitting rotary movement from one of said members to the drill head;and separate means including a. screw threaded shaft cooperating with anut on the other of said members to impart an independent rotation tothe rotatable cutter.

13. In a rotary well boring drill, the com-V binatioii ot a diill head arotatable cutter on the iirst member; and means including;

a screw threaded shaft for producing` a rotation of the said cutter bythe reciprocation of said second member.

14. In a rotary well boring drill, the combination of a drill head,rotatable cutters supported thereon, a driving head; a shaft mounted inthe drill head; gears connecting the said shaft and the said cutters,and means actuated by the reciproration oi said driving head andcooperating with the said shaft and the said driving head to rotate theshaft and the cutters, on their own axes.

15. A rotary well boring drill comprising in combination a drill head;rotatable cutters mounted thereon; a driving head secured to said drillhead and comprising two relatively reciprocable members; a drivingshaftmounted in the drill head and extending into the driving head; means forrotating the said shaft by the longitudinal movement of the reciprocablemember and gears connecting the said shaft and the said cutters.

16. In a rotary well boring drill, the combination oi2 a drill head; asleeve secured thereto; 4and a piston member reciprocably mounted insaid sleeve, and constituting therewith a single action pump adapted todraw liquid from the space above the sleeve and force it throughchambers in the drill head to the lower end thereof.

17. In a rotary well boring drill; the combination of a drill head;rotatable cutters mounted thereon; a sleeve secured thereto and providedwith water channels adapted to discharge flushing water on the rotatablecutters; and a piston member reriprocably mounted Yin said sleeve andprovided with valve controlled channels adapted to supply water to thepiston chamber on the up stroke of said reciprocable piston member.

18. In -a rotary well boring drill, the combination et a drill head;rotary cutters mounted and housed therein, and means actuated by themovement of the drill parts Yfor forcing streams of flushing fluid intothe space surrounding the rotary cutters.

19. In a rotary well boring drill7 the com Vbination oi' a drill head;rotary cutters housed therein and means lactuated by the movement or thedrill parts `for forcibly discharging jets of flushing water against thesaid cutters.

20. In a. rotary well boring drill; the conibination of a drill head;rotatable cutters housed therein; and a driving head coni- .prising asleeve, a piston member reciprocable in said sleeve, and means forutilizing the reciprocation of the piston member for forciblydischarging jets of water on the said cutters.

21. In a rotary well boring drill, the coinbination of a drill head;lrotatable cutters housed therein; a driving head comprising one memberfixed to the drill head and a second member reciprocably mountedthereon7means for converting the reciprocating movement of the second memberinto a rotary movement of the cutters on said head and means to hold thecutters in continuous cutting engagement with the bottom of the hole.

22. In a rotary well boring drill, the combination of a drill head;rotatable cutters mounted thereon; a collar attached to said drill head;a reciprocable member adapted l for attachment toa drill stem; gearingconnecting the said reciprocable member with the cutters and adapted topositively rotate said cutters by the reciprocating movement of saidmember; and means to prevent reciprocation of the drill head.

23. In a rotary well boring drill the combination of a head, a cutterrevolubly supported thereon, a member reciprocably mounted on the saidhead, and means for revolving the said cutter by the reciprocablemovement of the said member. Y

24. In a rotary well boring drill ,the combination of a head, arevoluble cutter carried by the said head, a reciprocable member mountedon the head, and means for revolving the said cutter by the relativereciprocable movement of the member and the i head.

25. In a well boringtool the combination of a rotary head, areciprocable member and a revoluble cutter mounted thereon andreciprocable rotary conversion means adapted to produce a rotarymovement of the cutter on said `lhead by the reciprocable movement ofthe member on the head.

26. In a rotary well boring drill the combination of a drill head, arotatable cutter supported thereon, a reciprocable member mounted on anextension of said drill, means for utilizing the reciprocating movementof said member to rotate the rotatable cutter on its axis, and othermeans for utilizing said reciprocating movement to- `forcibly dischargejets of water into the space adjacent said rotatable cutter.

27. In a rotary well boring drill the combination of aV drill head, acutter rotatably mounted thereon, a driving head secured to said headand comprising a reciprocable member; means for utilizing thereciprocation of the said member to force jets of water into the spacearo-und the rotatable cutter; and other means for converting thereciprocating movement of said member into a rotary driving movement ofthe said cutter.

28. In a rotary well boring drill the combination of a drill head, acutter revolubly supported thereon, a sleeve member secured to saidhead, a piston member shaped for attachment to a hollow drill stem andreciprocably mounted in the sleeve member, means for utilizing thereciprocating movement of the piston member to draw water from theinterior of the hollow drill stem and force it through openings inthedrill head; and other means for converting the said reciprocatingmovement into a revolving movement of the revoluble cutter.

' In testimony whereol:l I hereunto affix my signature this the 28th dayof January, A. D. 1919.

FRANK L. O. WADSWORTI-I.

